KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) – Deputy Carl Koontz is being remembered as “reliable” right up to the time he was fatally wounded.

The Howard County Sheriff’s deputy was killed Sunday morning while serving a warrant.

“The Sheriff’s responsibility to the courts include the service of warrants and is mandated by the Indiana state constitution. It’s a big part of our job,” said Howard County Sheriff, Steve Rogers.

While flanked by his deputies Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff Rogers said the department currently has 2,600 active warrants to serve, and that they serve 20 a day.

When Deputy Koontz was killed, he was serving a warrant to Evan Dorsey. Sheriff Rogers says Koontz voluntarily stayed past his work shift to help his fellow deputies.

“That is who Deputy Koontz was. That’s who these people are,” said Sheriff Rogers.

Deputy Koontz was also a school resource officer at Northwestern High School in Kokomo. He was educated at Indiana University-Kokomo.

“He had kind of a quiet strength about him,” said Dianne Roden, a finance professor at IU-Kokomo. She taught Deputy Koontz in four courses and says he never missed a class.

“He worked hard. He was reliable. He was always doing his part. He wasn’t someone who really stood out, but he was so reliable, and so hardworking,” said Roden.

His hardworking and dedicated spirit was on display early Sunday morning in the moments before he was shot, as he protected his partner, Sgt. Jordan Buckley.

“Deputy Koontz sacrificed his life beside me, which is the reason I stand here today,” said Sgt. Buckley. “I will be eternally grateful for his actions and everyday I put on my uniform I will wear it with pride for both of us.”